Box binding strip



Patented Feb. 23, 1943 BOX BINDING STRIP Stuart W. Parsons, New Britain,Conn., assignor to The Stanley Works, New Britain, Conn., a corporationof Connecticut Application February 26, 1941, Serial No. 380,623

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improved binding strip which hasbeen found particularly advantageous in assembling and securing thewalls of boxes of the type used to transport glassware and bottledgoods.

The construction of the improved binding strip is such that it can beinitially secured to the end wall of a box with a minimum of dimcultyand eifort and thereafter the subsequent attachment of the side andbottom walls of the box can be easily facilitated. Binding strips madein accordance with the present invention can be employed without in anyway marring or damaging the walls of the box, and without the use ofspecial machinery. Moreover, the construction of the binding strips issuch that in the completed box there are no exposed edges or sharpcorners which may cause injury to persons handling the box or to thesurface upon which the boxes are placed or over which they are slid.

A further advantage of the present binding strip resides in theintegral, spaced, securing teeth which are a substantial improvementover any heretofore used and which, during and following securement to abox wall, are substantially failureproof.

A still further advantage is the provision of a novel tooth having animproved driving action into hard wood and Wood which has beenpreviously painted or enameled and consequently has a hard casing orskin which stubbornly resists penetration.

In addition the resultant box structure is an extremely strong onecapable of withstanding considerable abuse and of such construction thatit may be economically manufactured in large quantities.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more indetail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exempliedin the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the applicationof which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of a box embodying thepresent invention and illustrating the ready means of assembly providedthereby;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional prole view of a binding stripformed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing details as to the shape of thesecuring teeth formed integrally with the binding strip;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the flange wherein two such teethare formed, one of which is cross-sectioned; and

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 5 5of Figure 1 and shows the securing teeth driven home into the endclosure.

Referring to the drawing, there is illustrated a portion of a box inwhich the present invention is ultilized. The box comprises generally anend piece I0 formed of relatively light wood and having integrallysecured to three of its edges a light angular metal binding strip I2which positions and helps to secure the side and bottom walls I4 and It.More specifically the end wall IIl is rectangular and the binding stripI2, which has a base flange I8 and a side ange 20 at right anglesthereto, is cut and bent to form a substantially U-shaped memberengageable with the wall I0 adjacent three edges thereof. The baseflange I8 is secured to the end wall by suitable integral securingmembers or teeth 22 so as to position the side flange 20 away from theside and bottom edges of the end base I0 and thereby define a receivinggroove 24 of like depth to the thickness of the side and bottom walls I4and I6 in which the ends of same are received and secured. To assist inpositioning and securing the ends of the walls I4 the free edge of theperipheral ange 20 has an inturned lip 26 receivable within a groove orscoring 28 in the side and bottom Walls. The lip 26 and scoring 28cooperate during assembly of the box to temporarily interlock the boxwalls until the securing nails 30 are driven through the flange 2. Whenso secured the inturned lip 26 remains positioned Within the scoring 28and as the exposed portion of the flange 20 which lies outwardly of thegroove 28 presents a rounded edge, the case may be readily slid aboutWithout injuring the surfaces upon which it slides. To furtherfacilitate the handling of the boxes the corners of the binding stripare rounded as at 32, to produce a caster efect and further guardagainst the danger of scoring or cutting the surfaces upon which thecases are slid.

To economically and conveniently produce a binding strip having theaforementioned characteristics and advantages, the metal end pieces maybe cut to proper length from a. continuous metal strip of properright-angular cross-section. The strips have cut therein V-shapednotches to permit the bending at the corner edge 34 and allow the stripsto extend at right angles and to thereby form the U-shaped membersubstantially as shown. To prevent ballooning or bulging out of the sideiiange 29 when bent at right angles to the edge 34, there is struckthere in a reinforcing rib 3S having its raised portion on the innerside of the flange. The rib 36 extends an equal distance to each side ofthe edge 34 and the completed end base constitutes a right-angular ribwhich maintains the corners of the binding strip parallel to the woodencorner of the box. The binding strip I2 is secured to the end member bythe aforementioned teeth 22. According to the present invention theteeth are V-shaped tabs struck from the flange made jacent its freeedge. In stamping out the teeth the bases or joinders 38 form crescentsthat are convex to the opening from whichl the teeth are struck. Whenthus formed the teeth curve latere ally through their entire lengthsubstantially as Yillustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. This lateral curvaturegives the teethgreater strength and it assures'sufcient Vrigidity sothat the `teeth Awill not crumple or fail as they are drivenV into thewall lll, even though it is a hard-wood wall orhas been painted Aorenameled so that it has a hard casing which stubbornly `resistspenetration.

As the members Hly are of relatively thin wood the teeth are curvedlongitudinally, as best illus- Vtrated'n Fig. 2 so that when driveninto-thewood they tend to take a more pronounced curvature asillustrated in Fig. A5 and thereby obtain a clinching eifect without theteeth `protruding inside of Vvthe box. Thus, no resultant sharp pointsextend into the box that mightY injure the contents contained therein.The curvature is such that the length-of the'teeth may be equal lto (oreven slightly longer than) the thickness of the end pieces. Thecurvature adjacent the point ofthe tip is more pronouncedso that -as the`tooth 'is driven into the Aend 19' the under surfaces of the toothfunction as a cam Vand forces the point to turn back towards the endflange i8 so as to lie wholly within the thickness'of Ythe end piece.

Y Upon securing'of the binding strip rto the end i piece, the box maybereadily assembled by forcing 'the end of the'bottom-walll intothelgroove 24 until the inturnedlip A26 snapslinto thegroove 2,87 and bythereafterslidingthe side walls into position substantially asillustrated Vin `Figure -1.

When 'so assembledthe nails are driven through the peripheral iange 28to rigidly vsecure the box memberst'ogether. With the'boxA soconstructed the binding pieces Vl 2 not only reinforce the4 ends butcompletely'cover the edges of allthe wooden members,thus preventing any`splintering ofthe wood upon handling of the box, VInl addition, as theiianges 2S are substantially flush' with the outer'surfaces of thesideand bottom wallsfand as the corners of the binding'pie'cesare rounded,the boxes may readily 'be handled without injury 'tothe surfaces overwhich they arepassed or injury to thosehandling them.

As illustrated in Figure 1, the tops'of the side flanges 2li may beprovided with tabs 40 which may be bent over so as to eliminate'one'morerough edge which'might otherwise cause injury. The tabs are fastenedtherein by a nail 30 thereby giving la more finished appearance to thebox.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and manyapparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be madewithout departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the followingclaims is intended to cover all of the generic and specic features ofthe invention herein described and all statements of the scope of theinvention which, as a matter of language, might be said to falltherebetw'een.

I claim as my invention:

. 1. A metal binding strip for securing the members of a box, said striphaving triangular shaped teeth struck therefrom for `fastening theAbinding stri-p vto the underlying box member, each tooth 'having alateral curvature for greater strength and rigidity, whereby the :base"of `the tooth is convex relative to the opening from which the teethare struck, and each ltooth also having a longitudinal curvatureextending forwardly `and away yfrom the opening from which the tooth isstruck, whereby each Itooth develops -afclinch-i-ng -ction whenv driven`into thelbox member.

2. A metal bind-ingstrip for securing the mem-- bers of a box, saidstrip having triangularshaped teeth struck therefrom forfastening--thebinding strip to the underlying box memben'each toothhaving a lateral curva-ture for greater strength and rigidity, wherebythe Ybase of the -tooth y-is convex relative to the opening vfrom-Whichthe teeth are struck, and each ftooth also Yhaving a longitudinalcurvature extending forwardly and away from the opening fromwhichthe-tooth-is struck, whereby each'toth develops a clinching actionwhenv driven into the box member; the longitudinal curvature adjacentthetip of Veach tooth being morepronounced tomorefeffectively Yturn thetooth as itis driven home.Y

3. metal binding strip for-securingthe end and side members of abox,said strip vbeing of Vright angular cross -section to providefan endfacingange adaptedltooverlie the4 end member of the box and a sidef-acingflange `adapted `to overlie the side members of the-'boxfsaidvtooth STUART W. PARSONS.

